Prince Elmo: Hello and welcome all, to Something Wicked 2.0! In my opinion, there were many things wrong with the previous version (spelling, details, paragraphs, general backgrounds....), so I decided to re-write it. Some things will have remained the same, but I hope everyone can see a significant change. To those who are wondering what the heck happened to the sequel....
I blame it on the plot-bunnies!! (runs out)
Insert disclaimer here.
Kurama's point of view.
Your new, uncomfortable school uniform itches terribly. Just as you this thought dully crosses your mind, Yusuke voices the complaint. A group of giggling schoolgirls pass by in a cloud of heavy perfume, a devastating assault on your sensitive sense of smell, as you wait for Kuwabara to arrive. They're wearing a similar, dark green uniform with a knee-length, plaided skirt. The girls whisper and point at you, before bursting out in a new round of giggles. No matter where you go, the female population always act in the same, annoying way. Their perfume just as irritating as their manners. You sigh quietly and submit to their curious stare and rapid whispers with grace and eternal patience.
"Man, what's taking Kuwabara so long?! Is he having a bad Elvis-Presley-Hairday, or something?" The detective is now using a ruler to scratch his back in a very elegant way.
"I'm sure that he will be here soon." You reply, calm as ever. Your thoughts drift off, as you think about how this all started. It was two days ago, that Koenma had requested your presence, early in the morning.
"I'm glad you could all come!" Koenma, the son of the Spirit Realm ruler, may look like an infant, but is in fact over 700 years old. You give him a kind smile, as he welcomes you. "We've got a bit of a crisis here."
Yusuke, Kuwabara and you are seated quite comfortably, opposite of his desk. Hiei chooses to stand, leaning against the wall, as he always does. "Just four hours ago, I got the message that the guardian of the Eye of Corax has passed away. We must--"
"The Eye of who?!" Yusuke loudly interrupts Koenma's rant before it even properly began. Turning towards the detective, you calmly explain that the Eye is a necklace which contains a large amount of dark energy. Where it originally came from is unknown, but in the past, the Eye has proved to be a powerful and very dangerous weapon.
For safe-keeping, the Eye of Corax has been hidden away in a mysterious temple located somewhere in the Demon World. To ensure that no demons can go near it, the temple has been charmed so that only magical creatures can enter it. And since magical creatures generally stay away from the Demon World, in disgust of their way of life, the Eye has been safe for centuries. The temple had always been guarded by the Lunari, a kind of Elf who are well-known for their loyalty and honest nature. They had sworn an oath to protect the Eye to the death, making them perfect for this job. It's the isolation that cost them their lives. Living as a closed community, in such a small space, was bound to go wrong some day. The Lunari are now exstinct.
"And that's why I need you to retrieve the Eye! With the bloody past it has, I'm not going to risk it getting stolen. Now that the last guardian of the temple is gone, the magic will slowly diminish and the charm will wear out." You give Koenma a short nod in agreement.
"But if only magical creatures can enter the temple, what do you need us for?!" You can just barely suppress a wince, as Yusuke loudly voices this question. Koenma, clearly disgruntled at being interrupted again, scowls at the human. A very odd look for a baby, you note abscently. "If you would let me finish, maybe then I can explain!"
Clearing his throat, Koenma folds his small hands on the desk. "We're currently searching through our files to find magical creatures who do reside in either the Human World or the Demon World. I expect Botan to be done any second."
As if on cue, a blue ogre stumbles in carrying a few maps, followed closely by the blue-haired Reaper.
"These are all we could find! Either this is all or we don't have records of them." Botan explaims rather cheerfully, before sitting down in the chair Hiei left unoccupied. The ogre, that you faintly recognise as George, places the files on Koenma's desk. Standing up on his chair, Koenma opens the first file. It holds only one page. Muttering the words as he reads them: "Heechul, wizard, male, 24 years old, residing in the Human World...Has been stripped of his powers due to unknown crimes against the Elders...Errrm, no!"
Closing the folder, he moves onto the next. "Kyo Yakumura, also a wizard, male...2 years old." He casts Botan a glare, who seems to be engaged in a staring contest with the ceiling.
Moving on to the next, which is the thickest. "Desoria Poe, necromancer, female, age unknown, banned from the Magical World, current residence is unknown. That doesn't really help either!"
With barely suppressed anger, Koenma litterally tears open the last file. It's thick, but not as thick as the previous file. "Name unknown, witch, female, age unknown, residing in the Human World, probably under human alias. Subject's powers have been Locked. Further information not available." The rest of the file is just a collection of reports about Locking the powers of an infant and a strange incident when the subject was 6 years old.
So here you are, looking for a witch without a name or a face. Even if it is a long shot, she's the best chance you have. You figure that the girl's around your age, since rumour has it that she attends Green Star High. Hiei had bluntily refused to come along, muttering something about 'foolish humans', though you can feel his spirit energy near. He's keeping an eye or three on you, for reasons you can probably guess. It's a reassuring thought, should anything go wrong. You have no idea how powerful this witch is. And wether or not she's hostile.
"Urameshi!!"
You're snapped out of your daze by the familiar voice and turn to see Kuwabara running up to you. His uniform seems a little bit too short, you notice with a raised eyebrow at his mismatched socks. As the three of you walk towards the school, you can't help but smile at their argument. You feel Hiei following close by. You're pretty sure that Yusuke and Kuwabara know it too, but you don't bring it up. Arriving at the massive school building, only one thing crosses your mind: "This is going to take a very long time!"
You sigh at the prospect of searching for days.
Yusuke's point of view.
You hear Kurama sigh and it's not all that hard to guess the reason. "Man, this place is huge!" You scowl darkly. It's going to take forever to search the girl out.
"Well, the witch can probably sense that we're different from normal humans. Perhaps she'll seek us out..."
You can just barely stifle a snort. Thank God, Botan had already signed you up, now it was just a matter of picking up your schedule. So five minutes later, you're walking down one of the many hallways, trying to make sense of the complicated rows of names and digits. You can't understand half of it, you refused to let Kurama take a look, muttering that you can do it yourself and you even turn the paper upside down, as if that would make it better.
But it doesn't.
"Why can't they make these schedules humanly understa--" Your oncoming complaining is rudely interrupted, as you slam into a small girl, who is send sprawling backwards onto the floor. "Ouch! Watch it, dumbass!"
Her long black hair has fallen into her face and the book she had been reading during her walk, has slid against the lockers. The tips of her hair are blood red, she brushes it out of her stunning green eyes, before glaring at you. You reach out your hand and help her up, with a bored expression on your face. Before you get the chance to apologise, not that you were planning on doing that, Kurama hands her book back and does it for you.
Her eyebrows shoot up under her bangs, obviously surprised at his manners.
"Are you okay?" He asks with one of his disarming smiles. She offers a shy smile in return, before convincing Kurama that she's fine.
"You guys are new here, right?" She plucks the schedule out of your hands, without waiting for a reply. Looking it over just once, she offers Kurama another bright smile. "My name is Hope Kingsley and I'll be your guide for today!"
Prince Elmo: What do you think?
Hiei: The same crap as before. (walks out)